This might be the end of the road for former Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle and 2023 1st-round pick Mazi Smith.
Less than 1 year after the Cowboys made Smith a throwaway addition to a trade for New York Jets defensive tackle and NFL All-Pro Quinnen Williams, he might already be on his way out in New York.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton put Smith at the top of his list of NFL players who need to be cut before the regular season — a damning tag considering how bad the Jets are.
“Last year, Smith appeared in just three games with the Jets and didn’t log a tackle in 54 defensive snaps,” Moton wrote. “He’s unlikely to make up for a slow start in New York because of the team’s acquisitions. The Jets bulked up the interior of their defensive line, acquiring nose tackle T’Vondre Sweat from the Tennessee Titans and taking Darrell Jackson Jr. in the fourth round of the draft. Keep in mind that Harrison Phillips is entrenched in a starting role and hasn’t missed a game since 2021. As a third-stringer on the depth chart, Smith may be looking to play for a third team in three years.”
NY Jets Signaled Smith Isn’t in Their Plans
The Jets declined the 5th year option on Smith’s contract ahead of the May 1 deadline and will instead let him play out the final season of his 4-year, $13.27 million rookie contract — if he’s even on the roster.
Smith was part of the blockbuster trade between the Cowboys and Jets in November that brought the Cowboys NFL All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams in exchange for Smith, a 2027 1st-round pick, and a 2026 2nd-round pick.
In retrospect, Smith seems to be the least important part of that trade.
“The Jets declined to exercise the fifth-year option for DT Mazi Smith, whom they acquired from Dallas in the Quinnen Williams trade,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini wrote on his official X account on May 1. “Smith, who played only three games (54 snaps) for the Jets last season, is under contract for the coming season. He will be a free agent in 2027.”
Smith Called Cowboys’ Worst 1st Round Pick
Before the 2025 season, Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder called Smith the Cowboys’ “Worst First Round Pick” in the previous 5 years.
Smith was the No. 26 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
“(Offensive tackle) Tyler Guyton is threatening to take Smith’s spot here after struggling as a rookie,” Holder wrote in June 2025. “However, the latter has had more time to get his feet wet in the NFL and still looks like a fish out of water. The Michigan product was drafted to help stop the run but has earned run-defense grades in the 30s from Pro Football Focus in his two seasons.”
Smith’s PFF grade in 2024 put him among the worst defensive tackles in the NFL — 207th out of 219 eligible players at his position.
“Former first-rounder Mazi Smith endured a particularly tough 2024 campaign,” PFF’s Mason Cameron wrote in May 2025. “He posted an abysmal 34.7 PFF overall grade, marking his second consecutive season of earning a sub-48.0 grade. Although Dallas signed Solomon Thomas in free agency, that doesn’t profile as the answer to the Cowboys’ 30th-ranked run-defense grade (48.0).”
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